Sony has officially expressed its interest in acquiring the Japanese conglomerate Kadokawa, sparking excitement among the latter's employees despite potential concerns about losing independence. Dive into the details to understand the reasons behind their optimism about this potential acquisition!
Sony and Kadokawa Still in Talks
Sony has publicly confirmed its intent to buy out the Japanese publishing giant Kadokawa, with the latter acknowledging this interest. As discussions continue, no final decision has been reached yet, and opinions on this potential acquisition remain varied.
Economic analyst Takahiro Suzuki, speaking to Weekly Bunshun, suggested that the acquisition would be more advantageous for Sony than for Kadokawa. As Sony shifts its focus from electronics to entertainment, acquiring Kadokawa would allow it to leverage the latter's rich library of intellectual properties (IPs). Notable IPs under Kadokawa's umbrella include popular anime such as Oshi no Ko and Dungeon Meshi (also known as Delicious in Dungeon), as well as FromSoftware's critically acclaimed game Elden Ring. However, this move could mean Kadokawa loses its independence, potentially facing stricter management. According to Automaton West, "Kadokawa will lose its independence, and management will become stricter. If they want to keep developing their business as freely as they have until now, the acquisition would be a bad choice. They’d have to be prepared for publications that don’t lead to IP creation being put under scrutiny."
Kadokawa Employees Reportedly Optimistic About Acquisition
Despite the potential downsides, Kadokawa employees are reportedly enthusiastic about the prospect of being acquired by Sony. Interviews conducted by Weekly Bunshun revealed a positive sentiment among the staff, with many expressing no objections to the acquisition and even welcoming Sony's involvement. One employee remarked, "Why not Sony?"
This optimism is partly fueled by dissatisfaction with the current leadership under President Takeshi Natsuno. A veteran Kadokawa employee shared, "The people around me are thrilled at the prospect of an acquisition by Sony. That’s because there’s a certain number of employees who are dissatisfied with the Natsuno administration, which didn’t even bother to hold a press conference after peoples’ personal information was leaked in the cyberattack. They expect that if Sony were to acquire the company, they would get rid of the president first."
The dissatisfaction stems from a ransomware cyberattack by the hacker group BlackSuit earlier this year in June, which compromised over 1.5 terabytes of internal data, including legal documents, user-related information, and employees' personal information. The perceived inadequate response from President Natsuno during this crisis has led to significant discontent among the staff.
